Biodegradable seeded container

ABSTRACT

A two-stage seeded biodegradable container, typically a liquid container with cap. The container is made from biobased soil biodegradable materials, including a central compartment for seeds. The container label is also made from soil biodegradable materials and contains embedded seeds. The label is protected with a soil biodegradable liquid-impervious coating and is affixed to the container with a soil biodegradable adhesive. After use, the container may be planted in soil or placed in compost and will biodegrade as well as germinating up to two sets of plants or trees from the seeds in the compartment and label.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

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FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

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SEQUENCE LISTING

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to biodegradable containers for consumer use and in particular to a liquid bottle containing one or two sets of embedded plant seeds, which after use when placed in soil will biodegrade as well as provide up to two crops of growing plants or trees.

One of the more critical problems facing the world's environment is the large volume of plastic containers, particularly those used for liquids (eg drinking water bottles). Currently most such containers are made of materials which remain intact for extremely long periods after disposal, clogging landfills, and creating essentially permanent environmental hazards in waterways, the oceans and on land. For instance there are areas in the open oceans, in harbors, bays and rivers where currents cause a concentration of plastic bottles creating large, nearly impenetrable masses of thick plastic waste, hurting wildlife and choking off critical natural processes needed to maintain ecological balance.

Increasingly, materials are becoming available suitable for plastic liquid containers that are in various ways, biodegradable. Such materials vary in their intended application. The vast majority of these containers end up being disposed of in landfills. The unique chemical composition of these polymers may not make them suitable for direct consumer disposal, such as burying in soil or home composting. Although biodegradation in landfills is certainly an improvement over the current situation, it would be even more desirable to make possible and encourage consumers to responsibly dispose of containers themselves without ever burdening the mass disposal systems.

Ideas have been presented to encourage direct consumer disposal of biodegradable packaging. A particularly suitable idea is to embed plant seeds in biodegradable packaging such that if the consumer buries the packaging, not only does it safely biodegrade but it also provides a crop of carbon dioxide-absorbing plants. Various papers, cardboards and the like, both biodegradable and containing embedded seeds, have been developed and some are commercially available in products like gift cards, wrapping paper and dry goods containers.

US Patent application, 11/139,360, since abandoned, extends this idea to the realm of plastic containers and discusses a range of implementations mating biodegradable packaging for liquid containment and container labeling with embedded seeds. However no mention is made about actual disposal scenarios, suitable materials for a particular application, nor design, processing and manufacturing details necessary to actually make a usable product. In fact at the time of the filing of this application suitable materials for the direct consumer disposal case did not even exist.

Although disclosures such as the above referenced application present a picture of a desirable end product, to the Applicants' knowledge, no teachings on how to actually produce a usable, seeded biodegradable liquid container currently exist. The implementation of such a container is in fact non-straightforward. It is the object of this invention to provide innovative designs for a practical biodegradable seeded container suitable for'direct consumer disposal.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a container, including a vessel and an optional cap made from a material biodegradable in soil, composting, and water. The container preferably includes a plant seed-holding inner compartment, at least one label made from a biodegradable material with embedded plant or tree seeds, a biodegradable liquid-impervious layer sprayed on all sides of the label, and a biodegradable adhesive affixing the label to the vessel. In a preferred embodiment the container is a bottle for liquids.

In various embodiments the vessel/cap material is a biobased plastic polymer. In particular versions the biobased material is polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).

In a particular embodiment the vessel has a central indentation for the label, and the seed holding inner compartment is a blow or injection-molded extension of the central indentation with an opening for filling with seeds. The opening is preferably covered when the label is affixed.

In various embodiments the label is made from 100% soil biodegradable fibers, and includes embedded plantable seeds including exalbuminous, albuminous, achenes, chitted seeds, and cuttings, and is printed with 100% soil biodegradable inks including vegetable and soy-based inks. In particular embodiments, the label thickness is substantially between 0.001-0.05 inches.

In preferred embodiments the label is coated on all sides with a liquid-impervious coating made from soil biodegradable material including vegetable, animal and insect oils and waxes. In particular aspects, the coating is layered and the thickness is substantially between 0.001 and 0.05 inches per layer per side.

In other embodiments, the label adhesive is a 100% biobased, soil biodegradable adhesives derived from materials including starch, soy, tree, polyesters, casein, dextrin, animal-based, alginate, and chitosan. In another embodiment, the invention is a vessel without the inner compartment but using the disclosed techniques and materials for the container, label, coating, and adhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood by referring to the following figures.

FIG. 1 depicts the basic features of the vessel and label.

FIG. 2 is a detailed depiction of the vessel, cap and label including the central compartment, adhesive and coating along with the two-stage seeding.

FIG. 3 is a version of the vessel. Label and optional cap without the central compartment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 a container including vessel 1 along with a central compartment 2 and label 3 are depicted. In the preferred case, as shown by way of example, the vessel is a liquid container and may be a beverage container such as a drinking water bottle. Other liquid containers may benefit from the invention and thus the invention should not be construed as limited to beverages.

As the container is intended to be consumer disposable, it is specifically designed to be deliberately buried and planted or compostable. An exemplary implementation is to produce the vessel of a biobased plastic polymer such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) that is biodegradable in industrial and home compost environments, soil, freshwater, and marine environments. This material is certified biodegradable in such conditions as per ASTM, EN, or other generally accepted 3^(rd) party standards and testing groups. Disposal in marine or fresh water environments is not preferred but in case the container finds its way into such environments it will biodegrade. This bottle is not designed to biodegrade in landfill environments as they are devoid of the proper microbes used in breaking down the biobased polymer. For this material the container is made using a blow molding or an injection molding process as is known in the art.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in a preferred implementation, the vessel 1 has a central indentation sized for the label 3 as shown. At any rate, the vessel 1 contains a central or inner seed compartment 2, which may be molded into the vessel. In a preferred embodiment, compartment 2 has a seed loading opening 5, and is molded behind the label 3 position. Thus first stage seed 6 a may be loaded into the compartment 2 and sealed into place by label 3.

Referring to FIG. 2, Label 3 is made from a soil/compostable material and includes second stage seeds 6 b. In an exemplary implementation, the label may be made from 100% soil biodegradable fibers (from leaves, bark, plastic, etc.) having seeds 6b (exalbuminous, albuminous, achenes, chitted seeds, cuttings, etc.) embedded into or onto the structure. The label may have an overall thickness of approximately 0.001-0.05 inches. The label is printed on using 100% biobased, soil biodegradable vegetable or soy-based inks.

The detailed depiction of an exemplary vessel/label with seeding is shown in FIG. 2. Label 3 is coated with a biodegradable liquid-impervious coating 7. In an exemplary implementation, all sides are waterproofed using a spray-on application of layers of liquefied/emulsified biobased, soil biodegradable oils or waxes (i.e. vegetable, soy, insect, animal waxes.) and having a thickness of approximately 0.001-0.05 inches thickness per layer. The coating 7 is resistant to the cold and moisture of a refrigerated environment and the warmth and moisture of a storage environment.

Label 3 is affixed to vessel using a biodegradable adhesive 8. In an exemplary implementation, the label adhered to the vessel using 100% biobased, soil biodegradable adhesives from 100% natural sources such as: starch, soy, tree, polyesters, dextrin, animal-based, alginate, chitosan, etc. The adhesive 8 is resistant to the cold and moisture of a refrigerated environment and the warmth and moisture of a storage environment.

Thus for the exemplary implementation as shown in the Figure, first stage seeds 6 a are loaded into compartment 2 through opening 5. Label 3 with embedded second stage seeds 6 b, coated with a liquid-impervious layer 7 is affixed to vessel 1 with adhesive 8. Of course other implementations of loading and retaining seed 3 a into compartment 2 are contemplated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art and the depiction shown is by way of example only.

As stated above, the techniques and materials described herein for the design and construction of the container, optional cap, label, coatings and adhesives are to the inventor's knowledge the first implementation of a seeded, biodegradable liquid container that in fact provides a consumer usable product that soil or home-biodegrades and propagates in a desirable fashion. As such the teachings of this invention also are applicable to a single stage implementation as shown in FIG. 3, including container 1, seeded label 3 and optional cap 4.

Thus the novel container may be used and then responsibly disposed of by the consumer. Either in the home burial or compost scenario, the consumer is encouraged to responsibly dispose of the container since up to two crops of plants will propagate from the disposed container. And for the case of mass disposal, the container is compostable in an industrial compost environment, much preferable to landfill. For the case where the container by accident makes its way to a freshwater or marine environment, it will still biodegrade if non-floating.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present invention has shown, described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention. It will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the detail of the systems and methods as illustrated as well as the uses thereof, may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, the scope of the invention should not be limited to the foregoing discussions, but should be defined by appended claims. 

1. A container, comprising; a vessel and an optional cap comprising a material biodegradable in soil, industrial and home composting, and fresh and marine water, a plant or tree seed-holding inner compartment, at least one label comprising a biodegradable material with embedded plant or tree seeds, a biodegradable coating disposed on the label; and, a biodegradable adhesive affixing the label to the vessel.
 2. The container of claim 1 wherein the vessel is a bottle for liquids.
 3. The container of claim 1 wherein the vessel/cap material is a biobased plastic polymer.
 4. The container of claim 3 wherein the biobased material is polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).
 5. The bottle of claim 2, comprising a central indentation for the label, and wherein the seed holding inner compartment is one of a blow or injection-molded extension of the central indentation containing an opening coverable by the label.
 6. The container if claim 1 wherein the label comprises; 100% soil biodegradable fibers, embedded plant seeds including exalbuminous, albuminous, achenes, chitted seeds, and cuttings; and, 100% soil biodegradable inks including vegetable and soil-based inks.
 7. The label of claim 6 wherein the thickness is substantially between 0.001-0.05 inches.
 8. The label of claim 6 wherein the biodegradable coating comprises a liquid-impervious coating made from soil biodegradable material including vegetable, animal and insect oils and waxes.
 9. The coating of claim 8 wherein the coating is layered and the thickness is substantially between 0.001 and 0.05 inches per layer.
 10. The adhesive of claim 1 comprising 100% biobased, soil biodegradable adhesives derived from materials including starch, soy, tree, polyesters, dextrin, animal-based, alginate, and chitosan.
 11. A container, comprising; a vessel and an optional cap comprising a material biodegradable in soil, industrial and home composting, and fresh and marine water, at least one label comprising a biodegradable material with embedded plant or tree seeds, a biodegradable coating disposed on the label; and, a biodegradable adhesive affixing the label to the vessel, wherein; the vessel/cap material is a biobased plastic polymer; the label comprises; 100% soil biodegradable fibers, embedded plant seeds including exalbuminous, albuminous, achenes, chitted seeds, and cuttings; and, 100% soil biodegradable inks including vegetable and soil-based inks; the biodegradable coating comprises a liquid-impervious coating made from soil biodegradable material including vegetable, animal and insect oils and waxes; and, the biodegradable adhesive comprises 100% biobased, soil biodegradable adhesives derived from materials including starch, soy, tree, polyesters, dextrin, animal-based, alginate, and chitosan.
 12. The container of claim 11 wherein the vessel is a bottle for liquids.
 13. The container of claim 11 wherein the vessel/cap biobased material is polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).
 14. The label of claim 11 wherein the thickness is substantially between 0.001-0.05 inches.
 15. The coating of claim 11 wherein the coating is layered and the thickness is substantially between 0.001 and 0.05 inches per layer. 